A Gaming Convention at the University of Victoria

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Ultimate Omnigaming Tournament

So you want to be the very best, like no one ever was? Then you want the UVic Games Club Ultimate Omnigaming Tournament! This tournament is here to test your ability to game, in all categories of gaming, against your fellows and peers. Over the course of the weekend, we’ll see competitors trying to get the leg-up on everyone else, hoping to edge them out in that rush to win each round. At the end of the weekend, we’ll collect those who’ve had the most success into one more game to throw down in one final round to determine who holds claim to the title of Champion of the 2012 Tournament.

This tournament is structured in a bit of an unusual fashion. And each round, depending on what is played, will have its own internal structure. Every game lasts a different amount of time, so particularly long games are more likely to have time limits enforced. Elimination-style rounds will likely be most common. Each round will have its structure explained before it begins.

To account for the potentially large number of players in the tournament, along with the high probability that not all players will be able to play in all five rounds, each player must sign up for each round separately. This way, they can choose which rounds they compete in. Each player will get points depending on how they performed in each round. For each player, only the best three scores out of their five rounds will be counted. In this way, someone who plays in all five rounds will still have a slight advantage, but those who were unable to play in all five can still compete. At the end of the five rounds, the players with the highest scores will compete in a winner-takes-all final round.

Each round is listed on the schedule for a time and place only. This is called an “Omnigaming Tournament” because players will have to compete in all kinds of games. The games played will be randomly determined, and players won’t find out which game they’re playing until they arrive to play. The only information you have about the games is that they fall within the purview of the Games Club, excluding war games and role playing games. This means any board game, card game, or video game is a viable option. (Seriously. Brush up on Pong.)

We’re aware there are variations to every rule set, and every house and home has a different way of playing, and the majority of these variations have people insisting that their way is backed up by the rulebook. We will not say that these people are right or wrong. We will say, however, that any rule disagreement should be settled at the table, with an instruction book in hand. Should that be insufficient to settle the dispute, the tournament moderator will be summoned, and his/her ruling shall be final.

Most importantly: This is a games tournament. Yes, it’s a big tournament, and healthy competition is encouraged. The prizes are awesome, the bragging rights are all there, and everyone wants to win. However, everyone must remember that this series of games, that invariably have an element of luck. Bad breaks happen. You may lose from one bad throw of the dice. If this happens, smile, shake the hand of the person across the board from you, and insist you’ll get them next time, Gadget. Next time. There’s always the next round, the next Saturday night games night, or the next tournament to get a rematch in. Cheer on the girl who beat you, watching her wipe the floor with everyone else she competes with, whereas you actually put up a damn fight. Don’t get upset. Have fun with it. It’s games tournament!

If you’ve read all of this, and you like what you see, then make sure to have a look at the schedule to figure out which rounds that you want to play in, you may not know which Game will be when—but don’t forget to consider the other things running at the Con that you may not want to miss out on and then sign up! You may not win the big bad prize at the end, but that doesn’t stop you from showing up and kicking ass. Bubble gum is on sale at the concession stand.